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England's Female Players Demand Equal Pay From FA After Australia’s Historic Deal


Jordan Nobbs and Beth England have called for the English FA to pay men and women the same in football after Australia's landmark deal.

The Matildas secured a historic deal with the Football Federation Australia (FFA) that will see them climb up the pay scale to match their male counterparts.

Chelsea midfielder England believes it would be a "long process" for her international team to secure the same benefits.

But the 25-year-old England international has insisted it is an "ongoing battle" that the Lionesses must continue to fight.

"I think any women's footballer wants to be respected and equal to their male counterparts," she told BBC Sport.

Australia's deal moves them in the same bracket as New Zealand and Norway for countries that put male and female players on the same scale.

According to the BBC, the Matildas will receive the same cut of money from commercial revenue and their players will be 'valued equally' as the male players.

However, the male players are expected to earn more from prize money that could be available from their matches.

Arsenal midfielder Nobbs, 26, believes that other countries pushing forward with equal pay is a sign that England should follow suit.

"When you see other nations doing it of course we want to carry on that progression with our nation," she said.

England echoed Nobbs' sentiments and said that they "have taken their first step and hopefully many more teams will join in with that."

She continued: "If that was to happen with England as well it would be amazing because we still train, we still do all the hard work the same as the men do."

England reached the World Cup semi-finals in the summer and would finish fourth in France.

And the Lionesses have previously finished third at the 2015 World Cup and in the semi-finals of Euro 2017.

England believes that her side's success at progression in major competitions raises questions about why they are not paid the same as their male counterparts.

"It's one of them where we have been better than [the men] so why are we not on the same [pay] as them, in a way?" she said.

"But, again, look at the revenue that the men bring in and you can't really compare it because their standard is relatively higher than the women -- so it's going to be an ongoing battle and a long process.

"I don't think it's going to be a quick fix and I'd like to think that us as women are still pioneering to push it forward and get that equal pay."

The Lionesses will return to action on Saturday when they host Germany at Wembley.

The sold-out clash is expected to set a record attendance for a women's match in the UK.

And the landmark match between England and Germany at the 90,000-seat stadium could also break the attendance record of 80,203 set in the 2012 Olympic final between the US and Japan.

The women's USA national team, who won the World Cup in the summer, have been in a long-running dispute with US Soccer Federation over equal pay and better conditions for women in the sport.

Former Ajax and Inter Milan manager Frank de Boer has slammed the idea that female footballers should be paid the same as men.

But England star Toni Duggan has argued that women should be paid better in the sport, but not the same as their male counterparts.

England captain Steph Houghton has also suggested that women shouldn't be on the same pay scale until they start selling out stadiums.

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